Larry Shenk, Vice President of Alumni Relations, shares his notes, quotes and anecdotes from the world of baseball.

Postseason Time

What a finish to the regular baseball season. Now, the fun starts for 10 teams. 20 others are home.

The new second wildcard has changed the postseason experience we’ve come to know.

The two wildcard teams in each league meet in a one-game playoff on Friday, which is different. The normal follows: best-of-5 Division Series, best-of-7 League Championship Series and best-of-7 World Series.

What’s good for baseball is that there are six new teams, granted two coming from the additional wildcard. Unimaginable and improbable are the Orioles and A’s.

Orioles were 10 back of the Yankees on July 18, caught them Sept. 4 and tied them 10 times in September before finishing second. Not bad for a team that made 178 roster moves and used 25 different pitchers. A’s held sole possession of first place for one day when they won the final game. They have five rookie starters, starting something like 104 times. They hit .238 as a team put can pound the ball.

So, here’s a capsule of the 10 postseason teams with reasons why to root for and against?

Yankees: Plenty of postseason experience. Can the bullpen hold up?

Numbers: 245 homers led the universe. Led AL with 45 comeback wins.

Ex-Phillies: OF Ibanez; RHP Garcia.

For: Ibanez, looking for his first ring. Jeter is a class person.

Against: Losing to them in 1950 was a childhood blow; losing to them in 2009 was a senior citizens blow.

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